Life Moves On
by snarkysweetness
Summary: Katie Belle visits Fred's grave to say a final goodbye and move on with her life. ONE SHOT. Pairings: Katie Bell and Fred Weasley, Katie Bell and Adrian Puecy


Title: Life Moves On  
Author: SnarkySweetness on LJ / SchwartzyLogainne on  
Pairings: Katie Bell / Fred Weasley & Katie Bell / Adrian Pucey  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: None, really.  
Set Post: A little over a year after Deathly Hallows.  
Summary: Katie decides it's time to let go and move on with her life.

Disclaimer: Jo Rowling is Boss.  
Author's Note: I torture poor Katie far too much, to the point where her Muggle was sobbing writing this.

Katie sat on the cold, hard, wet ground of Fred's grave, her hood up, flowers in her lap, her face stained with tears, taking every ounce of self-control she had left in her body after the week she'd been through to not completely break into loud sobs.

She moved her hand slowly over the cold stone, her lower lip quivering. It seemed so unfair that everyone ended up in some box in the ground or just ashes. Her Fred had deserved so much more than that.

_Her Fred…._

Katie couldn't remember a time when she wasn't completely in love with Fred Weasley. She was sure from the moment she'd met it, she'd just _known_. Even at eleven, she was drawn to him. It wasn't until their sixth year when they'd finally escalated to more than friends, and just when their relationship began getting serious, he'd up and quit school.

Katie had been furious with him, but she'd eventually forgiven him, and took up to basically living in his flat the year after she graduated from Hogwarts.

They'd kept their relationship very private with the war going on. Even with all the devastation going on around the, Katie had been grateful to have that entire year with the man she loved. Not all people could be so lucky.

They should have had more time than that.

Katie wiped away angry tears, remembering her favorite memory of Fred, from only a few days before his death.

"_K-Bell?" Fred asked, tussling a piece of her hair, holding her in his arms in an armchair where they both sat as she read. _

_Katie looked up, a look of complete relaxation on her face. _

"_Yes, love?" She asked, reaching up to flatten his messy hair before kissing his nose as an apology, knowing he hated it in when she did that. _

_Fred gave her a smile, kissing her forehead. _

"_You are adorable, Katie Bell, you know that?"_

_Katie smiled. "Yes, I know, and you are rather dashing."_

_Katie hadn't failed to notice the slightly nervous look he had about him. _

_She set her book aside, moving so she was facing him. _

"_What's up Fred?" She asked, an eyebrow raised. _

_Fred laughed. "You little brat, you know me too well." Fred looked at her for a moment before fishing something out of his pocket, clutching it in his hand, to hide it from her. _

"_Well…my little vixen, we're living in dangerous times you know… I mean, you never know when one of us will…well, you know," he said, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. _

_Katie pursed her lips, but had simply nodded, not wanting to ruin his nerve. _

"_And well, mum made me realize we never know how much time we will have left, so we should… embrace what we have, and well love, I have you, and I don't want to let you go."_

_Katie felt her lip twitch up into a smile. _

"_Fred Weasley, are you asking me to marry you?" She asked, still wary, but willing to speak her suspicions. _

"_Yes I am, my little brat," he said, slipping a moderately sized ring onto her finger, not even waiting for her reply before kissing her. _

Katie had of course, said yes, after much debating in her own mind. Two days later, Fred had been killed, and her entire world had come crashing down.

Now, over a year later, Katie still loved Fred. She had a feeling she'd never stop loving him.

Like her now deceased father, Katie would always carry Fred in her heart, but it was time to let go of him and stop feeling guilty.

Katie had kept the ring he'd given her on a small chain around her neck until about two months ago, when Katie began to realize she had feelings that surpassed friendship for Adrian. She'd felt incredibly guilty at first, potentially allowing herself to love someone besides Fred, after all, it wasn't fair to her.

Her father's death however, had put things into perspective. Fred had been right when he said no one ever knew how much time they had left, and Katie couldn't continue to delay living her life anymore.

She would always carry the two most important men in her life in her heart, but she had to move on with her life and try and be happy.

She set the flowers over Fred's headstone, exhaling.

"Fred… baby, I really hope you're up there somewhere, making everyone's afterlife a little more cheerful," she said quietly, wiping tears from her eyes again. "Especially dad, I'm going to count on you to take care of him, because let's face it, without mum, he's going to have no idea how to take care of himself."

Katie let out a small sob, looking down. This was far too hard for her. It always was, but this time was different.

"And… I'm sure you know by now…but me and Pucey, well…. You can't be angry with me. If our roles were switched, I'd want you to move on. I feel completely out of my mind for loving someone that's so the opposite of you, but, I couldn't help it.

I tried… you know I tried, but, I can't live my life dreaming about how our life was _supposed_ to be.

I'll never stop loving you Fred, but I need to move on from you, as much as I don't want to, I _have_ to."

Katie wiped her eyes again, hating that she was just a bag of tears tonight, but then again, sleep depravation would do that to someone.

"Don't worry though, you'll always be the best I've ever had; the love of my life, Fred. And you were far better in the bedroom. I mean, he hasn't even tried to tie me up yet, and you did that right after our first time."

Katie laughed at the memory, which was more hilarious than it was sexy. They had been too young and stupid at the time.

Katie moved her hand on the grass beneath her.

"I love you Fred, now and forever. And I will never stop missing you baby, I promise. One day I'll see you again, and then you and whoever I end up living my life with can fight over who gets to keep me in the afterlife, I suppose."

With that, Katie stood, taking one long look at the grave. She'd come by tomorrow, after her father's funeral, but she was done letting go.

It was a relief to finally say these things out loud, directed to Fred. A weight was off her shoulder, and she truly hoped she would stop feeling guilty for being with someone who wasn't Fred.

"I love you Fred Weasley," Katie said one last time, taking her engagement ring off of her finger and kissing it before placing it back on its old chain and around her neck, where it belonged.

Just because she was letting go, didn't mean she shouldn't keep something of him with her still.

"Goodbye," she said, meaning it for the first time.

She took one last look before turning and walking away, leaving her old life behind her, and looking to truly starting the new one.


End file.
